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Education Policy

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Education policy includes laws as well as processes and policies that educational organizations, local districts, states, and nations put in place and follow to achieve academic goals. RAND analyses have informed education policy in the United States, United Kingdom, Qatar, and many other countries.

Research suggests that, among school-related factors, teachers matter most to students' academic performance. What's less clear is how to measure an individual teacher's effectiveness. RAND's reports, fact sheets, blog posts, and research briefs provide clarity on this important issue.

Federal policy should ensure that school improvement is a priority, that schools adopt proven reforms that fit the school context, and that schools and their districts are held accountable when federal resources are used for school improvement.

As lawmakers consider the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it is critical that in meeting their objectives they do not create unnecessary obstacles to the productive innovations being explored at schools, such as personalized learning.

Will Congress be able to reauthorize ESEA in 2015? Success will depend on legislators clearing several hurdles, such as decisions regarding teacher quality, school improvement, and charter schools. And at the center of the debate remains the issue of federal requirements for testing.

Research increasingly suggests that “soft” skills are important for college and career success, as well as for promoting civic engagement. So far, these skills are largely unmeasured in schools. But new research may pave the way for change.

Interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies such as communication and resilience are important predictors of success and civic engagement after high school. They're also difficult to measure. Practical, high-quality measures could help educators and policymakers improve outcomes for students.

Choosing the right university and the best course of study is one of the most important decisions young people and parents will make. Not everyone makes the right decision. Of the wide range of factors involved in choosing a university, how important are university tuition fees to young people and their parents?

Facts and objective analysis are important, but for policy analysts to make a difference in the real world they also have to be able to tell a story, former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole said at the June 21 Pardee RAND Graduate School commencement.

The achievement gap between children from the highest- and lowest-income families has substantially grown since 1960. The income achievement gap is now about twice the size of the black-white achievement gap.

In the long term, early childhood education and care (ECEC) can boost the academic abilities of disadvantaged students, thus enabling them to pursue higher studies. Whether ECEC results in increased access to higher education remains to be seen.

Despite tuition of up to £9000 per year for higher education institutions in England, applications continue to rise. Aside from tuition fees, employment prospects, living expenses, university location, and course quality are important influences on prospective students' university choices.

Tuition fee levels are not the only factor that prospective students and their parents consider when choosing universities. They also compare employment prospects, living expenses, university location, and course quality.

Examines the adequacy of technical and vocational education and training in Iraq's growing Kurdistan Region; identifies areas for improvement through interviews with a variety of officials and an analysis of similar systems in other nations.

Principals are second only to teachers as the most important school factor affecting student achievement. States and school districts can help principals by implementing effective hiring practices, building high-quality evaluation systems, entrusting principals with autonomy, and providing resources and supports.

As the Kurdistan Region of Iraq develops rapidly, gaps have surfaced between the education and skills necessary for emerging jobs and those that employers perceive in local graduates. However, policymakers can respond in the short, medium, and long terms by implementing a number of new measures, particularly at the secondary level.

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Project Associate

Susannah Faxon-Mills is a project associate at the RAND Corporation. Prior to joining RAND, she worked in the nonprofit sector in prevention education and youth development. At RAND, Faxon-Mills is responsible for supporting a variety of education projects. Faxon-Mills received her M.A. in…

Behavioral Scientist

Kun Yuan is a behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on educational measurement, program evaluation, teachers and teaching, pay-for-performance, and statistical modeling. She is currently working on projects to study the cognitive rigor of state achievement tests and…

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